Topics - grandinquisitor2

ANUS does a good job of explaining the ideas behind metal, at least as they're expressed by the people who created metal. It's no surprise people who are into these ideals would get into metal too. Nobody here wonders why some smart people listen to metal. But everybody also sees that there are lots of metalheads, even the majority, who are very stupid. They don't agree with the inherent ideas of metal or even understand them, but they still like the music. Why do THESE people listen to metal? The usual response is that they're trying to look "unique" by adopting a "different" style. That may be correct, but it only answers the question partially. What I wonder is, why did these people choose METAL to be unique, INSTEAD of punk, indie, rap, techno, Eskimo chanting or anything else that has underground scenes? Of all of them, I would expect metal to be the last choice, because it's usually the most intolerant and least "welcoming".

I thought of several things offhand.

1. Lots of people who hate religion also like metal. Their resentment of church is the main force in their life. Metal is the most overtly blasphemous type of music around, and they get fixated on the anti-Christianity to the exclusion of everything else. They often criticize religion from a conventional leftist viewpoint without acknowledging that it's equally incompatible with the philosophy of most metal bands. For example, there was a guy at my high school who always wore Deicide t-shirts and had Karl Marx quotes scribbled all over his backpack.

2. They may be weak, but recognize that metal exudes power and so use it to compensate.

3. Accident. Maybe they just knew some metalheads, or happened to be exposed to metal at the critical developmental point when they were defining their identity and thought, "That sounds different!"

Attributing things to chance though isn't much of an explanation so I'd rather keeping looking for other reasons. What keeps attracting certain types of morons and deadbeats to metal?